An Easy Guide to Canned Tomatoes

These canned goods are quite versatile—use them to make pasta sauce, stews, soups, and more! Here’s the lowdown on each kind.

CRUSHED TOMATOES

These are tomato chunks canned with tomato purée. It’s an excellent time saver: Simply pour crushed tomatoes into a pan with herbs and other aromatics, simmer, and you’ve got yourself a pasta sauce in no time!

WHOLE PEELED TOMATOES

As the name suggests, these are whole tomatoes that have been peeled and canned in tomato juice or purée. Stock up on this versatile product: The tomatoes can be crushed, broken into chunks, diced, or stewed as your chosen recipe dictates.

SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

Usually sold preserved in oil, , sun-dried tomatoes are tomatoes left out in the sun to dry. They lose most of their water content in the process, but their flavor is amplified and their nutritional value is retained (they’re rich in lycopene, antioxidants, and vitamin C). They’re popularly used to give basil pesto another flavor dimension. They’re also great added to pasta and pizza.

TOMATO PASTE

This is a very concentrated tomato product made by cooking tomatoes for an extended period of time until the water content evaporates. Use it sparingly—tomato paste delivers quite a flavor punch, so a little goes a long way. Afritada and Kaldereta are some of the Filipino favorites that have tomato paste in their roster of ingredients.

STEWED TOMATOES

These are tomatoes cooked with bell peppers, onions, and other spices before being canned. Already flavored, it makes an excellent base for tomato-based dishes such as chilies and stews.